A Beautiful Day For A Wedding

She sat amongst a sea of well wishers watching the beautiful young couple recite their bonding vows. It should have been a cheerful day filled with fond reminiscing about how their love came to flourish leading to a joyous union of families. It should have been a day of love, celebration, unity and support. It was, however, a lesson in the cruelest form of torture. Life was nothing, after all, if not capricious.

Even though she fought desperately to blend into the crowd. To not stand out. To keep her face perfectly composed. He could still just faintly pick up the haunting whimpers that occasionally left her lips. It was the only sound in the room apart from the droning voice of the officiate welcoming everyone to the ceremony. How he ached to enfold her in his arms and cease her heartbreak.

His own heart screamed at him to end her pain. He knew, without looking, that if he turned his head just a little bit further he would be able to see the still present swell of her stomach. The place their beautiful daughter once called home. Where she was safe from this world. If only time could have frozen. Keeping her safe in the womb of her mother.

She was gone now though, their beautiful Elspeth. Gone before her mother ever got the chance to hold her. To see her. They didn't even allow her that comfort. They ripped her away the moment she entered the world. She believed their little girl had been still born. He knew she believed it since the news had come from him.

He knew the truth, however. They had let him see his little girl. Had issued their final warning before subjecting him to watch as a loving family adopted a poor orphan child. His child. She wasn't an orphan! She already had loving parents! Why couldn't that be enough for them? He knew which family had taken her. There was only one pureblood family she would blend seamlessly into. He would have her back one day. She would know who she was. Somehow. Someway.

That was the day his beautiful Elph broke. He knew he had to protect her and there was only one way he could do that. So he left her. It took every once of willpower he had to walk away from her. But he was doing this for them. She would see that in the end.

If he hadn't gone through with the divorce he knew their families would have become even more drastic in their efforts to drive them apart. They had already tried running away so what was left for them but this? He needed power of his own. And Lucius was helping in that department. Or at least, he hoped he would. Especially since Lucius did have his own need for power.

He had to protect Elph above all else. He couldn't do that while living as an outcast. He would have no means of caring for her. Protecting her. If only he could explain. They hadn't spoken since that afternoon. She'd withdrawn into herself since then. Loosing both in one day had taken its toll on her.

Even today, weeks later, she looked pale. Distant. Broken. It was obvious to anyone that cared to notice that she hadn't even done her own makeup and hair today. Her mother, perhaps? His Elph was never that heavy handed with her makeup. Nor would she choose that severe of a hairstyle.

They had dressed her up like a little doll so they could parade her around. Showing the guests in attendance that she had finally come to kneel to her parents demands. It was cleverly designed torture. Making your child watch as the man she loved was wed to another. To someone she had once called a friend.

When the ceremony was over he stood next to his new wife as tradition dictated one must so that congratulations could be received. Elph never got any of this opulence as they had run away to elope. She had dreamed about it though. He had promised to give it all to her one day. After everything calmed down they'd have a true and proper ceremony. And here he was, going through with the ceremony with the wrong girl. Oh Elph...if only we could go back in time.

He noticed her standing awkwardly in line with her parents. It looked as if she was trying to run away but her mothers hand was clamped tightly around her wrist. Continually pulling her forward. When they were three spaces away from him he finally heard their argument.

"Please don't make me," she whispered achingly. "Please."

"Foolish girl. You're making a scene. You will do as your told," her mother snapped. "Now, congratulate the couple so we can move along."

As they reached the couple her mother gave her a little push forward but sighed in aggravation when her daughter just stared at the floor worrying her lip. "Elphaba. Sometime today would be nice."

She pulled her head up to see them but quickly averted her eyes to just over the beautiful brides shoulder. "Congratulations Bellatrix. R-Rodolphus. I'm s-sure you'll be very happy," she paused to take a breath and unconsciously moved her hand over her stomach. She gasped and struggled to contain her tears while clutching the front of her dress.

"Foolish. Shouldn't you tell Bellatrix and Rodolphus thank you?" Her father questioned.

"T-thank you?" She turned to look at her father in confusion.

"Yes," her mother answered. "They have decided to put their honeymoon on hold so that they can be present at your own wedding. Bellatrix just knew you would be sad if she wasn't there. Isn't she rather generous?"

"I-I," Elphaba swung her gaze back to a smirking Bellatrix. "Yes. Thank you Bellatrix. Most generous."

"And Rodolphus."

Why wouldn't her mother quit? Surely she could see that this was torture for Elphaba. How could she put her own daughter through this? But then...how could he? His sweet beautiful Elph.

"Yes. Rodolphus..." And she finally looked at him. For the first time since he walked away from her their gazes met. "T-th-thank you for-" the rest of her sentence was lost inside of a sob she could no longer hold back.

Concerned he reached forward with the firm desire to hold her. To shield her from all of this. "Elph," he soothed but her sudden recoil backwards froze him. She'd never refused his touch before. She'd never recoiled from him. He was her safe place. The one she ran to when everything became to much.

"Don't. Don't call me that. Ever again."

And with that...she was off like a shot. Running out of the hall with tears streaming down her face. Past several curious onlookers. He couldn't just let her go like that. She needed him. He knew it. He had to go to her. But before he could take more than one step he felt Bellatrix slip her hand into his with a firm grip, anchoring him in place.

"She's not your concern any longer," Bellatrix said firmly. "Let her go."

"Yeah, big brother. Marius has it under control." His little brother nodded towards the man in question that was headed out after his Elph.

Rodolphus clenched his jaw as he watched Marius pull her sobbing form into his arms just before the door shut. His hand formed a fist at his side. How dare that scum lay his filthy hands on his wife? He knew what Marius was like. Why he'd agreed to marry Elphaba.

"Alright everyone, emotions always fly high at weddings. But everything is under control now." His fathers voice was clear and concise over the murmurings of the crowd and soon people were filing past to shake his hand once more.

He tried to focus and give coherent responses but her cries reverberated inside his head. Oh, Elphaba, what have I done?